/*
 * Copyright (C) 2010 M. Hautle.
 * 
 * This file is part of SimpleEL.
 * 
 * SimpleEL is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by the Free
 * Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
 * 
 * SimpleEL is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A
 * PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
 * 
 * You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License along with SimpleEL. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 */
package ch.simpleel.accessors;

/**
 * Interface describing an value accessor operating on a given element.
 * 
 * @param <T> The return type
 * @author M. Hautle
 */
public interface IValueAccessor<T> {
    /**
     * Returns the value form the element.
     * 
     * @param element The element
     * @param fallback The fallback value
     * @return The value or the fallback
     * @throws ValueAccessException If the access failed
     */
    T getValue(Object element, T fallback) throws ValueAccessException;

    /**
     * Sets the given value on the specified element.
     * 
     * @param element The bean
     * @param value The value to set
     * @return True if the value was set
     * @throws ValueAccessException If the access failed
     */
    boolean setValue(Object element, T value) throws ValueAccessException;

    /**
     * Returns wherever reading the value is generally supported.
     * 
     * @return True if reading is supported
     */
    boolean isReadable();

    /**
     * Returns wherever writing the value is generally supported.
     * 
     * @return True if writing is supported
     */
    boolean isWritable();

    /**
     * Returns the path represented by this accessor.
     * 
     * @return The path
     */
    String getPath();

    /**
     * Returns the type of the value to get/set.
     * 
     * @return The type
     */
    Class<T> getType();
}
